


Carolyn

by rhodrymavelyne



Category: Dark Shadows - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 08:28:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4172877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhodrymavelyne/pseuds/rhodrymavelyne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carolyn Stoddard is in New York City, attempting a career as a photographer. Joe Haskell reluctantly comes to the city to bring her home to Collinsport, on her mother's orders. Unfortunately, he sees a familiar face with her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carolyn

**Author's Note:**

> This is very different than the canon. Joe is not dating Carolyn. Joe does not even like Carolyn. Joe is very close to Willie, who is his cousin, along with Chris, Tom, and Amy Jennings. Willie used to date Carolyn. She left Willie a mess, which Joe finds hard to forgive her for. Carolyn's attempted career as a photographer is an homage to 'Revival', in which she talked to Victoria about having such a career, before her mother asked her to come home. Ned Stuart is a bit different, too, you may notice. In my fanfics, I visualize Sabrina Stuart/Daphne Budd/Beth Chavez as all having the same face. I picture all of them looking like Kandyse McLure.

As always, Joe Haskell suppressed a sigh, as he approached Carolyn Stoddard. She’d dyed her hair, again. It was currently jet black. It hardened her face, as she crouched behind a camera, barking orders at a half naked male model. Joe wondered how much of the Collins money Carolyn had had to shell out to get this little studio in New York City, and whether it was actually at all successful. 

It should have been Maggie, coming here to fetch Carolyn. Maggie wasn’t half as freaked out by New York City as Joe was. However, Maggie’s father was in no condition to take care of himself, or the Blue Whale, due to a hearty bout with the bottle. Once more, it had fallen upon Sam Evans' daughter to do both. Elizabeth would have asked Willie, but Joe was determined to keep his cousin as far from Carolyn Stoddard as possible. Even if it meant coming to a city he hated to fetch a girl he hated. 

Why had Carolyn needed to live in New York City to ruin a career in photography? She could have failed just as easily in Boston. Boston was a much nicer city, plus it was closer to Collinsport. Although nothing about Carolyn Stoddard could be considered ‘nice’, so a nicer city would be wasted upon her. Her vivid blue eyes had a much harder look than they’d once had, or maybe it was just the dye job. There were shadows underneath her eyes, along with worry lines. It didn’t look like New York City suited Carolyn, any more than Collinsport had. 

Not wanting to catch her gaze, Joe found himself eyeing the darkly muscular body of the model. The model turned. His brown eyes met Joe’s own. To his astonishment, Joe realized he knew him.

“Ned Stuart?” he asked, not sure if he wanted to be recongized. Ned wasn’t on the best terms with his family. However, the name slipped out, before he could stop himself.

“Well, well, Joe Haskell,” Ned said, with slow, almost seductive unpleasantness. Carolyn’s head shot up at the name. Her now dark head swiveled towards Joe. Joe found himself thinking of ‘The Exorcist’. “Whose errand boy are you today?” A nasty smile curled at Ned’s thick lips. “I can think of little else that would take you away from Collinsport via land.” The smile grew. “At least, any farther than Wyncliffe.

It was a deliberate jab. Joe tried not to wince. Joe’s cousins, Chris and Tom Jennings were both ‘patients’ at Wyncliffe, a fact that Ned Stuart took entirely too much delight in. He’d never forgiven Chris for breaking the heart of his sister, Sabrina. 

“My mother,” Carolyn said. She was scowling, an expression that made her look as young as she was. Joe sometimes forgot she was only eighteen. “What excuse does she have for dragging me home this time?” She advanced upon the two men, as she spoke. The pantsuit she was wearing made her look taller. Carolyn usually favored mini-skirts.

“She needs your help,” Joe said, wondering again how he’d ended up as the Collins family errand boy. All he did was work at the Collinsport cannery. However, there was more to it than that. Joe’s family had connections with Collinwood, and had for centuries, if you believed Willie. His aunt, Sarah Johnson, was the Collins family housekeeper. Tom had been a groundskeeper at Collinwood, before his breakdown, as well a handyman. It was a job Willie now continued, when he was sober. Besides, Joe found it very hard to refuse Elizabeth Collins Stoddard anything. Roger Collins might be a bully and a drunkard, who took his anger out on his employees, but Elizabeth was always soft spoken and courteous. She kept to her house on the hill, wearing black, summoning everyone to her, yet paying her employees generously for the extra effort. Somehow, she made Joe feel like it was ungentlemanly to deny her anything. “She’s going to have a visitor, whose coming to Collinwood is something of a surprise.” Joe had no idea who this visitor would be. He hoped Carolyn wouldn’t ask about the visitor, because Joe couldn’t answer. 

Fortunately, she didn’t. “A visitor,” she said, with the same sensual unpleasantness as Ned. It was clear where he’d picked it up from. “I suppose it’s too much to hope that it’s a handsome stranger.” She didn’t wait for Joe to answer, thankfully. Carolyn raised a hand to finger a tress of her hair. “I’d better to get the dye out.”

“You’ll be a redhead, for a while, if you try,” Ned warned. “I think I’ll come with you. It’s been a while, since I’ve been to Collinsport. Or seen my sister.” He shot Joe a look of pure malevolence. “Or Chris.”

“Chris is still at Wyncliffe,” Joe protested. He didn’t add “as far as I know”. Dr. Julia Hoffman was jealously secretive about her patients. 

“The beautiful beast is still a prisoner of the mad doctor?” Ned asked. His nasty smile got even wider. “Poor Chris.” Clearly, he didn’t mean a word of it.

“I don’t suppose you brought Maggie with you?” Carolyn asked, showing a complete disregard for Ned’s conversation. She was still fingering her hair. “She’s very good at getting the dye out of my hair.”

If Maggie was here, do you think I’d be? Joe wanted to growl. “No,” he said, instead, shortly.

“Well, we’ll need to go see her, before I return to Collinwood. You do have a car big enough for the three of us?” Carolyn asked. Assuming Joe was going to transport not only her, but her current boy toy. Joe gritted his teeth. 

“If not, I could find my own way to Collinsport,” Ned added. Unlike Carolyn Stoddard, Ned Stuart didn’t assume Joe Haskell’s car was at his disposal. Such assumptions were for members of the Collins family, not simple residents of Collinsport. Regardless of how close they were to the Collins family. Willie had found out that the hard way. 

Ordinarily, Joe drove a truck. It was good enough for Willie, Amy, and himself. The station wagon they’d driven, when Chris and Tom had lived with them had been commandeered by Auntie Johnson. Joe had rented an SUV for the trip to NYC. 

“Just call me, when you’re ready,” Joe said, turning to go. “You have my cell phone.”

“Wait, Joe.” The note of command in Carolyn’s voice froze him in his tracks. “You’re here at my mother’s bidding. You’re not leaving, until we’ve bought you a drink, at least. Besides, it won’t take me that long to pack.” Carolyn glanced around the room. “Hopefully, I won’t be in Collinsport for too long. However, if I am, it won’t take long to pack the things I won’t miss.” The coldness in her voice had the faintest tinge of sadness. It almost made Joe feel sorry for Carolyn. Almost.

All he had to do was think of Willie, how Carolyn had seduced him, led him around the nose, and dumped him. All Joe had to do was think about the wreck Willie had been, afterwards. The wreck Willie still was, to this day. Once Joe thought about that, all pity for Carolyn vanished.

“While I pack, we can talk,” Carolyn said. Her voice was filled with poisonous sweetness as she spoke. “How is Willie these days? Seeing anyone new?”

Actually, Willie was spending most of his time with the Collins family history records, or at the mausoleum. Joe wondered, if he should share this information with Carolyn, or not.

“Actually, he is, Carolyn,” Joe said, as he smiled at her. Or bared his teeth at her. He wasn’t sure which. “Me. Every day. Along with Maggie, most days.”

“Oh, good one!” Carolyn chortled. Her blue eyes shone with wickedness. “You’ve always been just a tad overfond of all your cousins, in my humble opinion! Not to mention the idea of Willie scoring with Maggie is hilarious!” Her smile sobered, turned into something almost respectful. “She’s even more out of his league than I was.”

This was curious. Carolyn might impose upon Maggie, asking her to dye her hair all different colors, but she was a little bit more respectful towards the artist/barmaid/wiccan than she was towards most of the Collinsport residents. 

“Well, come along!” Carolyn said, sweetly. “You can tell me more about Maggie, along with everyone else, as I pack. Oh, and you can help me pack.”

Which meant Joe would be doing the packing. He swallowed a half growl, half sigh, and followed her.

Ned watched Carolyn’s swaying backside and Joe’s tight, jean clad ass with equal interest. The interest wasn’t without malevolence. 

He didn’t like Joe, or Carolyn for that matter. However, they were both hot.


End file.
